Target May Have Just Leaked The Existence Of Bethesda's 'Game Of Thrones' Video Game [Update]

For years now, I’ve been asking why no one has bothered to make a proper Game of Thrones video game, given the enormous popularity of the series and that the notion that Westeros existing as a fantasy open world RPG in a game seems like a no-brainer. We’ve gotten a few poor attempts at Thrones titles over the years, most recently Telltale’s narrative-driven game that had to awkwardly work within existing show plot points, but never a full-on, massive RPG.

That may be about to change.

A NeoGAF user spotted a new listing at Target that appears to be a mostly blank landing page except for one phrase: “Bethesda: Game of Thrones.”

The page’s existence implies that a Game of Thrones video game announcement might be imminent, and on top of that, the studio handling the project will be Bethesda, best known for the Fallout series, but also Elder Scrolls, which is about as close in concept to Game of Thrones as any other game on the market with its focus on fantasy swordplay, warring factions and dragons.

Is this just some crazy mix-up on Target’s part? It could be, but this is also not the first time that we’ve heard rumors about Bethesda working on a secret Game of Thrones title.

It’s well known that Bethesda is working on at least two major games that seem to have priority over Elder Scrolls VI. One of those games is supposed to be something called “Starfield,” some sort of action/sci-fi RPG. The other, according to a few unverified leaks, may be this Game of Thrones title. The history of these leaks is summed up in an informative video you can watch here. There isn’t much to go on, but the point is that this listing is not totally out of nowhere, and there have been whispers of this game before.

Skyrim

Bethesda

Anyone who has played an Elder Scrolls game knows that Bethesda seems like precisely the right developer for this sort of project, but it’s almost even a little too on the nose because of how similar it is to their own series. I would have guessed that HBO/Martin would partner with someone to create a Thrones-based rival to the hugely popular Elder Scrolls series, but it seems that Bethesda may have decided it would be a good idea to simply take the project on themselves, and space it out so that Elder Scrolls VI and a potential Thrones game don’t bump heads. Reportedly, Bethesda was actually offered a Game of Thrones game before Skyrim was ever made, but they chose its own IP instead. Now, they might have changed their tune given how popular the series has become.

Again, none of this is confirmed and right now, Target, Bethesda and HBO aren’t talking (I expect this page will be taken down soon). Could an announcement be planned before or after tonight’s Game of Thrones Season 7 finale? And if so, in what time period would this game take place in Westeros? Before, during or after the show?

There are a lot of questions based on one rogue listing, but a Bethesda Game of Thrones game, if handled correctly, has the potential to be a massive release, so this is a very big deal indeed. Hopefully we’ll know more soon.